Right now, there are a lot of questions regarding the future of theme parks around the world in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. And while there are no easy answers right now, there have been several developments at Disney parks regarding the extended shutdown that guests may want to know about!
Walt Disney World shutdown quietly extends into May
Though Disney has never offered a hard reopening date for its theme parks in the United States, the official park calendar only showed the closure lasting through to the end of April, and guests with reservations next month could still view their hotel, dining, and FastPass+ reservations. However, Disney has started extending their shutdown on their official calendar and those with reservations up through the end of the first week in May are getting official cancellation notices this week.
Though not official, Disney right now is only accepting hotel reservations for June 1 and beyond , which appears to be a soft target for a reopening for Disney theme parks in the United States. And while we don’t know if Disney will make this date (even with some social distancing changes) if you’ve got Disney reservations in the next month or two, expect to see an official cancellation notice soon.
Analysts issue dire prediction for Disney Parks in 2020 and 2021
This extended closure is especially bad, as Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall said in a recent article for The Hollywood Reporter that Disney Parks will likely take at least two years to return to 2019’s attendance levels in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as guests won’t feel confident going to crowded places until testing and/or vaccines are “more ubiquitous.” saying Disney can expect almost no park attendance for the latter half of fiscal 2020 and only 50% capacity over the course of 2021
Tokyo Disney Resort to close until further notice, Fantasyland expansion delayed until further notice
Outside the United States, Japan has also delayed the reopening of Tokyo Disney Resort. Earlier this week on April 7th, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency for the country lasting through May 6th. In response to the developing situation, the temporary closures of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have been extended.
Though an April 20 reopening was originally planned, Tokyo Disney Resort has announced that the theme parks, hotels, and shopping district will all be closed until further notice, and a new reopening date will be determined in mid-May, after which a new announcement will be sent out. Additionally, the opening of the new Tokyo Disneyland expansion will be determined and announced once an opening date can be confirmed.
As we’ve said previously, there is no way to know exactly how long theme parks will be dealing with the effects of Coronavirus, but while this situation is continuing, all travelers should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
